(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-01-24 13:05

Federer had more to play for against Blake than just his 8-0 record against the American and his bid for a 13th major, which would move him within one of Pete Sampras' record.

One of the anomalies of the rankings is that despite his domination last season - 68-9 with a tour-high eight titles - Federer could have lost the top spot he's held since February 2004. Nadal would have taken over if he'd reached the Australian Open final and Federer lost to Blake.

"I heard rumors I could lose it," Federer said, mockingly. "Someone reminded me of it."

With a tiebreaker looming in the first set, Federer was at his usual best under pressure, breaking Blake as he served at 5-6.

Blake saved two set points at 4-5 in the second and three more after falling behind 6-2 in the tiebreaker, but Federer cashed his sixth.

He was cruising at 5-1 in the third set when Blake ran off three straight games, but Federer finally held to finish.

"I really went in thinking I had a good chance to win," Blake said. "I played pretty well, but he came up with some of his best at the right times, and that was the difference."

It was the same for Djokovic, who had set points against Federer in the US Open final but could not convert them.

Against Ferrer, he was only troubled when it was time to close out, dropping his serve and losing his temper before regaining his composure.

"As the third player of the world, I have a lot of expectations and pressure, and sometimes it's difficult to stay calm on the court," Djokovic said. "I'm working on that. I'm still young and I still need to improve some elements in the game as well as the mental stabilization."

Things changed for Djokovic when he beat Federer and Nadal en route to the Montreal title in August, then reached the US Open final. He is widely considered a worthy No. 3.

"They were saying the year after a breakthrough year is the most difficult one. But you know, I'm feeling really, really good," Djokovic said. "I'm playing with a lot of confidence.

In the late men's doubles match, two-time defending champions and top-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan went down 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (5) to Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles in the quarterfinals.

   1 2   

   1 2